East Carolina University and Wake Technical Community College on April 10 signed an agreement that will enable students to earn a four-year bachelor’s degree.

Rogers

Through a program offered by ECU’s College of Technology and Computer Science, the agreement will help graduates with a two-year associate in applied science degree to transfer credit hours towards a four-year bachelor of science in industrial technology at ECU.

The AAS degree has long been considered a terminal degree, with credits that could not be transferred into any other type of degree.

The new agreement enables students with an AAS degree to achieve a four-year degree without having to start their educations anew. Graduates in one of 23 industrial or technology-driven fields at Wake Tech can now transfer into ECU’s degree completion program.

“This agreement is nothing short of revolutionary in that it lifts long-standing constraints on those with two-year technical degrees,” said Wake Tech President Stephen Scott.

“For the first time, they can resume the pursuit of higher education while upgrading credentials and increasing earning power.”

Students joining the ECU bachelor’s program will find that five of the seven available concentrations are offered online through distance education. No other institution in the state offers the capability to transfer AAS credits toward a bachelor’s degree through online programs that provide essential flexibility for working professionals.

The partnership with Wake Tech will further strengthen ECU’s distance education program, while meeting the needs of the state’s workforce.

“North Carolina must be capable of competing in a global economy,” said Ralph Rogers, dean of the College of Technology and Computer Science.

“The BSIT program creates a pathway to cultivate a strong technology-based workforce, through life long learning opportunities.”